Former gang member finds redemption on the field

He sat in the principal’s office of Leadership Public School in Richmond, and even though he faced expulsion for what school administrators called “causing danger in the school,” he still just didn’t care. Munoz wanted to be anywhere but where he was—hanging out with his friends and partying—but instead, he awaited judgment.

Soon enough, it came.

The principal, sitting behind his desk, told Munoz he would be expelled from Leadership for trying to recruit members to his gang. Munoz had joined the gang, Richmond Squad, as a freshman, and now as a sophomore, the lifestyle consumed him. Recruitment was a facet of “putting in work” he had to do, and if it got him expelled, so be it. Munoz still just did not care.

Then, the principal said something Munoz will never forget.

“You’re a menace to society,” he said, looking Munoz square in the eye as he said it.

“Honestly, at that moment, I just wanted to walk out but I couldn’t,” Munoz said. “I just had to stay there until my dad came.”

Looking at him now, it’s hard to believe how far Munoz has come in just two years.

Munoz, now 17, is a lineman on the Richmond High football team, a team leader and a jovial presence. He smiles when he talks and seems to emit positive energy. He’s getting good grades in school and for once, has a plan for his future. All of this, he attributes to joining the football team.